SMS, or Short Message Service, is the technology behind what we often
refer to as ‘text messages’ or ‘SMSes’, as well as what allows for news
alerts on cellular phones. In recent years SMS has ballooned to
over a 50 billion dollar industry and is quickly taking the
communications world by storm.
Short Message Service actually refers to a framework that uniquely
allows computers, or in this case phones, to communicate with each
other without the need of a central hub. With SMS, phones can
find each other, send short packets of information back and forth, and
do it all without any central computer to guide them. But because
the system does not rely upon fixed lines like a land based telephone
system does, the amount of information that can be sent at one time is
limited in size. This depends on the language spoken, but for
English letters this typically means around 150 characters (Chinese and
Japanese letters are limited to 70).
Quite recently, however, new developments in the technology have
allowed for even longer messages to be sent. Long or Concatenated
SMS is a development that allows multiple messages to be combined to
form a single message. In effect, what happens is that your phone
actually sends out a few smaller messages and then the receiving phone
simply compiles those messages so that for users on both ends, it
appears as though the message were cohesive. While there are some
limitations, the brilliance behind SMS is that because there is no need
for central hubs, and thus the system can be expanded indefinitely
without any concerns of it slowing down or becoming more expensive.
The most common form of SMS is ‘texting’. This usually takes
place with a cellular phone in which individuals use the letters behind
the number pad on their phone to spell out words and phrases and then
send them out. Because many companies charge by the word,
individuals have come up with a sort of ‘texting slang’ to cut down on
the amount of words required to convey a particular message. For
example, ‘gr8’ and ‘BTW’ mean ‘great’ and ‘by the way’. In
addition, other words have just been shortened, such as ‘lata’ to mean
‘later’. Most users simply pick up the lingo through frequent
use, and although some slang is widely understood and used, other
shortcuts are developed within circles of friends and family.
The major advantage of SMS is its price. The price is typically
$0.05 per message, a significant cut below that of traditional
telephony and cell phone per-minute charges. The savings of SMS
has its roots in the nature of the technology. Short Message Service,
like SIP, is modeled on a peer to peer model and not a cog and wheel
like traditional communication systems. This means that instead
of having to route a message through a central hub, your text goes
straight from you to its destination. This has radically cut down
on the cost of SMS implementation and led to its overwhelming
popularity throughout the world.
Short Message Service (SMS) has radically changed the face of the
communications industry. While the practice has become quite
common throughout the world, it has only recently become popular here
in the United Stats, a growth partly predicated upon, surprisingly
enough, its featured role in the show American Idol. The fact
that ‘texting’ is quickly gaining both in popularity and recognition in
the United States is not surprising however, due to its ability to
offer users a cheap, quick, and often fun way to communicate with
friends and family.
Jim Sherman writes about interesting topics such as SMS call. See
http://www.mobalex.com/products/smspage.html for more information.
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